KC Rep's managing director resigns

William Prenevost, Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s managing director since 2002, has resigned.

Prenevost and the Rep each released a prepared statement announcing his departure, which was effective July 24.

Prenevost said he looked forward to spending time with his family and exploring new professional opportunities. He said he had no plans to leave Kansas City.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as the management leader of the Rep ” he said, “and for the active role and friendships in the greater Kansas City arts community. My family and I really enjoy living in Kansas City, and plan to stay for now.”

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Previous artistic director Peter Altman hired Prenevost based in part on his long career in the nonprofit arts world. Prior to becoming managing director at the Rep, Prenevost was the senior officer for external affairs at Cleveland Museum of Art. In the last 30 years Prenevost has held marketing or consulting positions with a number of theater companies and classical music organizations, including the Cleveland Playhouse, the Northlight Theatre in Evanston, Ill.; the Huntington Theatre in Boston and Chicago Opera Theatre.

Prenevost, who is also a playwright, is a native of Minnesota and a graduate of Illinois State University.

In the years Prenevost worked with Altman at the Rep, the company underwent significant changes.

On the artistic side, Altman fulfilled his commitment to the board to enhance the Rep’s national reputation, which he accomplished largely through co-productions with important regional theater companies and inviting high-profile directors to work at the Rep.

On the financial side, Prenevost was responsible for managing the company’s endowment and fundraising campaigns and assuring that Altman and his eventual successor would have the resources necessary to achieve their artistic goals.

Prenevost was also responsible for long-term strategic planning, part of which included a “re-branding” campaign that changed the name of the theater, which had been called Missouri Repertory Theatre for decades.

“Perhaps the crowning achievement was the 2007 expansion into downtown Kansas City with the opening of the Copaken Stage,” Prenevost said. “Somehow, we managed all of this in a period in which most theatres around the country have struggled.”

“The Rep has experienced a significant period of growth and change in the six-plus years that Bill has been head of our management team,” Nelson said in a statement. “We wish him well as he moves forward in his career.”

The inaugural season of the new artistic director, Eric Rosen, begins on Sept. 6 with “Clay,” a one-man hip-hop musical performed by Matt Sax in collaboration with Rosen.